Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-09-16

port Of the law, and has firmly nipped in
the bud schemes to take some Of the small |
or Offices out Of the laws control. II will !
be shown that the country has not gone TO
ruin under three years Of Democratic rule,
that the finances have not come to grief,
and that there has been no unpatriotic at
tempt to involve the country at home or
abroad, or disturb its tranquility. No out
cry about pension vetoes the return of the
rebel flags the predominance of the South
in national affairs, or any of the stock sub
iccts of political agitation, will be sufficient
to offset these facts or withdraw them from
the public attention
The real vital issue which the great body
Of earnest, sober-minded people will have
seriously at heart will be an honest, thor
ough going reform Of the civil service, with
statesmnnikc view Of such matters of
national policy as the education Of the illit
crate masses which threaten the public
safety South and North, the upbuilding of
the navy, a wise adjustment of the tariff,
and the use of every practicable means to
give the colored people of the South the
DDllllthl IlEOhN WHICH bilt NbllnblbuNipu gun
antees them. This, then, is the issue which
the Republican party will be called upon to
meet next year and if its sincere purpose
is to succeed in the national election, as it
assuredly ought to succeed, it must meet
the issue in no hating, uncertain way. Its
platform ought to declare for civil service
reform with ms much breadth, clearness and
decision as does the Iowa platform to which
we have referred herein should lie the
keynote of the campaign. On the Southern
question there ought to be shown the same
spirit Of recognition of the evils which ex-
list, but at the same time of fairness and of
comprehension of the difficulties involved,
which marked Mr.. Lincon's expression on
this subject and on the other leading
questions to which we have referred the
declaration should be marked by the broad
and progressive spirit which the time de
mands.
This done, let there he put ON the plat
| form candidates which mean what the plat
| form says, and success would be assured
The man who heads the ticket should not
simply be one who is ready to promise next
| year to stand by what the platform calls
for. He should be man whose character
and public record are in themselves guar
anty of the kind of man he is. With such
platform and such "A ticket the campaign
might almost be left to fight itself. Every
Republican vote would be held, and the
best element of the country could he conf
IDENTITY appealed to for support, regardless
of party lines. The Republican party would
once more stand for the very best and high
est things in our national politics; it would
hold the vantage ground which it occupied
quarter century and more ago, and the
canvass could be carried on with all the
spirit and hearty enthusiasm which marked
the campaigns Of 1876 and 1880. Defeat
under such conditions, and with such an
antagonist as the Democratic party is sure
to be, would not be defeat it would be the
highest kind of moral victory
1t is because the situation is such as it is
that we believe those Republicans are wrong
who allow themselves to he drawn into the
popular current Of thought and expression
which tries to narrow the choice of the par
ty down to one man and make the renomi-
nation of Mr.. Blaine seem inevitable We
do not say this because we believe Mr..
Blaine tn be a bad man, or because he is a
man whom we and other sincere Republi-
cans could not support with good con
science in case of his nomination. We say
it because it is for the good of the party and
in accordance with Republican principles
| Ra,,,,l1;,,,, 81 L., 10 Il. L.,
said 1t is not the voice and sentiment OF
the sober, thinking, voting part of the Re
publican party which is trying to make Mr.
Blaine's denomination appear II foregon,
conclusion. This class of men do not wan
to see next years campaign needlessly made
> one of attempted vindication of any man
or one in which the personal element shall
be the predominating feature Neither d,
they want it to be one in which banners
brnss bands, fireworks and general thur
rah' shall be the weapons relied on. The!
want campaign which shall put the part,
at its best, and in which every member o
the party can work for the best that is il
him. This is what the Republicans of Yer
- mont distinctively want. 1t is most Ger
tainly the settled, well grounded sentimen
of the great majority of Republicans il
this part of the state Even on the scor
-. of policy the course we have indicated
the only wise one. The Republican part
needs the Independent vote, and it is tn
-, rankest folly that would seek to ALLEVIATE
- further and permanently. We want to Sc
that vote brought back into the ranks of it
own free will, and the whole party presen
united front ON IA platform which says re
form and ticket which means it,
?, The Republicans of Vermont are of a
others in position to express their conviC
tons fearlessly. We believe it to be tn
;. duty of the Republican press of the stat
to give these convictions voice, and NJ
u drift weakly and INCREASINGLY into the cul
rent which for the time being is made I
seem the popular and inevitable" one.
.. is one thing to read the "signs of the times
as they are pointed out by scheming polit
clans it is another to resist "foregone cor
clusons' which are made to order, and I
- point out the path in which lie the highe,
political duty and the truest political su,
- cess.